The Pendant of Immortality
by Indy-Angel
Summary: Lara is once again called out of retirement, and takes Kurtis along for the ride. But it soon appears that the remote island that they are summoned to has more wrong with it than just a wayward king... Please R and R!
1. The Call

**The Pendant of Immortality**

**Part 1 – The Call**

'Hello?' Lady Croft was lounging on her four-poster bed with a good crime novel when her bedside phone started ringing.

'Lara, you have a call on the other line. I'll put you through.' It was her butler.

'Thank you Hillary.' There was silence followed by a click on the line. 'Hello, Lady Croft speaking. Who is it?'

'Good morning Miss Croft. My name is Azzili. I am most sorry to interrupt your much deserved rest.' The man was referring to her tangle with the Monstrum murderer. It had been three weeks since she had returned from Prague and the scandal was only just leaving the front pages.

'Oh, no trouble really. How can I help you?' Lara finished the sentence through gritted teeth. She knew what was coming.

'There is a problem I need your assistance with. Do you think we could meet for a coffee? It's just that I would rather say what I need to say face-to-face. It is easier to explain it that way.'

Lara agreed to meet him in one hour's time. She gave him the address of a small local café, Café Marron, and then placed the phone back on the receiver. She chose to dress smartly. It would mean having to sneak past Bryce and Mr. Hillary though. They were on 'strain alert'. Lara was surprised that Hillary didn't fuss when she lent to pick up her mug of tea.

Having made it to the equipment room / garage unspotted, she pressed the auto-open button for the garage door. All her cars were currently undergoing maintenance checks and the only one that actually had four wheels intact was the Jaguar. But when Lara reached the pegs that the car keys were kept on she saw that the Jag's keys were missing. She remembered Bryce sneaking into the kitchen suspiciously with an item in hand that jangled, though at the time she couldn't be bothered to investigate. The boys must have hidden them in the kitchen so that she couldn't go out!

Lara had just fished them out of the cutlery draw when Hillary poked his head through the arch.

'What are you doing? Why are you dressed up?' He asked, suspicious of her.

'Business meeting!' She called as she sprinted past him and rounded the corner.

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Soon Lara was seated in the small and neat café with a nice, hot latte. Although she had become a bit of a recluse in the past year and a half, she enjoyed the warm and cosy charms of the Café Marron.

It was obvious to any customer that stepped inside why it was called the brown café. Everything was in calming neutrals. From the leather seats to the beautifully patterned tile floor, the coffee colours ruled. Lara considered redecorating her bedroom in a similar manner.

Sitting across from Lara was a tall, muscular man. He had light, though tanned skin and a deep voice with an accent that she could not place. A stereotypical gentle giant Lara thought.

'So Sir, what is it exactly that you wish me to do?' Lara asked, breaking the silence. 'But please realize that I cannot promise to help you.'

Azzili gave her a warm smile. 'I understand. Though for you I feel that my request, should you so choose to accept, would be but a gentle exercise.' He reached and took a sip from his cappuccino, then wiped the froth from his mouth. 'My tale is both simple and complex at the same time. I come from a small island off of the coast of the country you call Portugal. It has no name, except to its people, who call it home. It does not appear on your maps and is therefore unknown and undisturbed. I ask for your help because I believe that you will keep it that way. And I also ask because I believe you to be of supreme ability.' This was acknowledged by a nod from Lara.

'On the island there are two tribes, Kaligae and Lassire. In the time of my ancestors, they were always feuding and many lives were lost in disputes over land. But then one man rose up and took charge. He ended the fighting and became known as the King. He was kind and fair and ruled with honesty. Nobody knew where he had come from. He was just there. He spoke a strange language, English, but picked up the language of the tribes very quickly and in turn taught his language to the brightest of the tribes folk. It has then since been passed down through the generations.'

'Your English is very good.' Lara complimented Azzili.

'It was slightly different to how it is spoken today. I had to learn more since I arrived.' This time it was Lara who reached for her drink.

'Please continue your story.' She prompted.

'After one hundred years of toil the tribes fused as one and prospered and the King stayed as young as the day he started his work. He told all his subjects that he had a magical pendant, which granted him immortality as long as he wore it. He also announced that he had completed what he had set out to complete and that he wished to die. As his last act as King, he ordered the building of a large, complex and booby-trapped temple. He swallowed the pendant and lay down on the altar at the heart of the temple to die, his final wish that nobody could use the pendant for evil.

'The traps were activated and the temple was left alone. He was and is still worshipped as a God and we still hold a festival in his honour once a year, on the day the tribes were fused.'

'I am very sorry, but what can I do? You appear to be very fond of your God and cannot possibly wish for me to steal this pendant?' Lara was slightly confused. Azzili raised an eyebrow and the light dawned. 'Somebody has got it somehow haven't they? You don't want me to retrieve it, you want me to put it back!'

'Correct. The King had two sons towards the end of his life. After his passing they decided to split the tribes to make them easier to manage. Each ruled over their own people and the tribes stayed close friends. Some villagers even intermarried. And of course the tribes came together for the festival of the God King.

'Ancestors of these brothers still rule today. Or they did. I was one of them, King of the Kaligae. Driven mad by desire for more power, the King of the Lassire, Maan, entered the temple and made agile and brave by his madness evaded the traps and slit open the stomach of the three-hundred-year old corpse. The pendant had survived and he took it! He exiled me from my throne and my home island! He fused the tribes once more and became their sole leader.' His voice had risen to a climax and Lara was somewhat thankful that they were the only customers and that the staff were in the back. She went to lift her cup, but realized that it had gone cold.

'I am very sorry for you.' She offered. He quickly regained his composure.

'Please, do not feel sorry. I just need you to come with me to the island. Just retrieve the pendant and return it to its home. I have hired a boat and I know the way. We can leave in three days. What do you say?'

It seemed like easy work. It would help her keep her hand in the game, she thought.

'Where do I sign?'

**Please let me know what you think! Thanks xxx**


	2. The Explanation

Hiya. Thanks to both my kind reviewers. And if anyone else is reading – please review! Otherwise it kinda loses the point...

_Acid: No you're not going crazy! Yes I did publish this a little while ago but took it down within a week. I had accidentally published the whole thing when I only meant to do it in chapters. But I will be editing, so please keep reading! P.s. I remember your last review – yes Hershey bars have come to England. Lets hope they don't take over the world..._

_L'ange de Vrai: Thanks – I really like your Emerald key – please update! Don't worry, Kurtis will appear in chapter 3._

**Chapter 2 -The Explanation**

Soon Lara was seated in the small and neat café with a nice, hot latte. Although she had become a bit of a recluse in the past year and a half, she enjoyed the warm and cosy charms of the Café Marron.

It was obvious to any customer that stepped inside why it was called the brown café. Everything was in calming neutrals. From the leather seats to the beautifully patterned tile floor, the coffee colours ruled. Lara considered redecorating her bedroom in a similar manner.

Sitting across from Lara was a tall, muscular man. He had light, though tanned skin and a deep voice with an accent that she could not place. A stereotypical gentle giant Lara thought.

'So Sir, what is it exactly that you wish me to do?' Lara asked, breaking the silence. 'But please realize that I cannot promise to help you.'

Azzili gave her a warm smile. 'I understand. Though for you I feel that my request, should you so choose to accept, would be but a gentle exercise.' He reached and took a sip from his cappuccino, then wiped the froth from his mouth. 'My tale is both simple and complex at the same time. I come from a small island off of the coast of the country you call Portugal. It has no name, except to its people, who call it home. It does not appear on your maps and is therefore unknown and undisturbed. I ask for your help because I believe that you will keep it that way. And I also ask because I believe you to be of supreme ability.' This was acknowledged by a nod from Lara.

'On the island there are two tribes, Kaligae and Lassire. In the time of my ancestors, they were always feuding and many lives were lost in disputes over land. But then one man rose up and took charge. He ended the fighting and became known as the King. He was kind and fair and ruled with honesty. Nobody knew where he had come from. He was just there. He spoke a strange language, English, but picked up the language of the tribes very quickly and in turn taught his language to the brightest of the tribes folk. It has then since been passed down through the generations.'

'Your English is very good.' Lara complimented Azzili.

'It was slightly different to how it is spoken today. I had to learn more since I arrived.' This time it was Lara who reached for her drink.

'Please continue your story.' She prompted.

'After one hundred years of toil the tribes fused as one and prospered and the King stayed as young as the day he started his work. He told all his subjects that he had a magical pendant, which granted him immortality as long as he wore it. He also announced that he had completed what he had set out to complete and that he wished to die. As his last act as King, he ordered the building of a large, complex and booby-trapped temple. He swallowed the pendant and lay down on the altar at the heart of the temple to die, his final wish that nobody could use the pendant for evil.

'The traps were activated and the temple was left alone. He was and is still worshipped as a God and we still hold a festival in his honour once a year, on the day the tribes were fused.'

'I am very sorry, but what can I do? You appear to be very fond of your God and cannot possibly wish for me to steal this pendant?' Lara was slightly confused. Azzili raised an eyebrow and the light dawned. 'Somebody has got it somehow haven't they? You don't want me to retrieve it, you want me to put it back!'

'Correct. The King had two sons towards the end of his life. After his passing they decided to split the tribes to make them easier to manage. Each ruled over their own people and the tribes stayed close friends. Some villagers even intermarried. And of course the tribes came together for the festival of the God King.

'Ancestors of these brothers still rule today. Or they did. I was one of them, King of the Kaligae. Driven mad by desire for more power, the King of the Lassire, Maan, entered the temple and made agile and brave by his madness evaded the traps and slit open the stomach of the three-hundred-year old corpse. The pendant had survived and he took it! He exiled me from my throne and my home island! He fused the tribes once more and became their sole leader.' His voice had risen to a climax and Lara was somewhat thankful that they were the only customers and that the staff were in the back. She went to lift her cup, but realized that it had gone cold.

'I am very sorry for you.' She offered. He quickly regained his composure.

'Please, do not feel sorry. I just need you to come with me to the island. Just retrieve the pendant and return it to its home. I have hired a boat and I know the way. We can leave in three days. What do you say?'

It seemed like easy work. It would help her keep her hand in the game, she thought.

'Where do I sign?'


End file.
